Triangular lattice delafossite compounds built from magnetic lanthanide ions are a topic of recent interest due to their frustrated magnetism and realization of quantum disordered magnetic ground states. Here we report the evolution of the structure and electronic ground states of RbCeX2 compounds, built from a triangular lattice of Ce 3+ ions, upon varying their anion character (X2= O2, S2, SeS, Se2, TeSe, Te2). This includes the discovery of a new member of this series, RbCeO2, that seemingly realizes a quantum disordered ground state. Magnetization and susceptibility measurements reveal that all compounds manifest mean-field antiferromagnetic interactions and, with the exception of the oxide, possess a magnetic ordering transition below 1 K. The crystalline electric field level scheme is explored via neutron scattering and ab initio calculations to model the intramultiplet splitting of the J = 5/2 component. In addition to the two excited doublets expected from the J = 5/2 multiplet, we observe one extra, local mode present across the sample series. This added mode shifts downward in energy with increasing anion mass, suggesting a long-lived, vibronic state endemic to anion vibrations about the Ce 3+ moments.